Hansen!

Look! Out on the track! It’s a racecar, it’s a speeding train, it’s … Hansen!

Surely I was not the only one exclaiming those words on Saturday. After watching a replay of the striking, near white colt’s maiden win, a 12 length runaway on September 9, I was fully prepared to watch what he would do against a field of seven in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile. Turns out, he was not hard to follow.

In a race that has produced such stars as Point Given, Editor’s Note, and Vindication, in only 18 previous runnings, Hansen blew the doors off his competition in a fashion more impressive than any winner of the race to date. A son of Tapit, out of the Sir Cat mare, Stormy Sunday, Hansen took it to the field right away. Rushing up from his outside post position, it was clear no one was going to get the early jump on the 1-2 favorite. After a quarter mile, he was two lengths ahead of the field, and from there it was just a matter of how by how much he would win. The answer would be 13 ¼ lengths as the rest of the field was left floundering in his wake at the Turfway Park finish line. Ridden by Victor Lebron, he completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.83.

In two starts, both at Turfway, Hansen has now won by a combined margin of 25 ¼ lengths. Things will get tougher next out though, much tougher. After the win Saturday, trainer Mike Maker announced that the plan for his unbeaten speedster is to send him straight to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. So not only will the level of competition be much stiffer, but the attempt, in the most important race for two-year-olds in America, will mark Hansen’s first race ever on dirt.

His connections, especially owner, Kendall Hansen, and jockey Victor Lebron speak in glowing terms of their new star, and for good reason. Despite the hurdles he will have to overcome in the Breeders’ Cup, Hansen’s speed and talent clearly make him a threat against the best of his generation. By Tapit, Hansen should make the tradition to dirt, or turf for that matter, just fine. He also has the advantage of being accustomed to a dirt surface, as all his recent workouts have come at the Churchill Downs Training Center.

The Kentucky Cup Juvenile was only part of an incredible day for Maker. At Turfway alone, he won five races, three of them coming in the Kentucky Cup stakes series, and a fourth coming in a maiden race won by Tapanna, who is the three-year-old full brother of Hansen. Maker’s day was not confined to northern Kentucky though, as he also scored north of the border, winning the Ontario Derby at Woodbine with Derby Kitten.

Older Comments about Hansen!...

I predict Hansen will win the Breeders Cup Juvenile in the same fashion he has shown in his first two races. He doesn't seem to care about his competition, only getting to the lead and running all out, hell bent for leather! What a beauty he is, and breathtaking to watch. If he is the "real deal", and the Juvenile should give us a clue as to the answer to that question, then the only thing he will need to be concerned about is to stay healthy!! I shall cross my fingers (and pray) that he stays healthy. This year was plagued by dropouts, injuries, setbacks -- one analysis I read said that 65% of the Derby trail runners in January were on the shelf by June! That is a scary statistic, and one which I hope will not repeat for 2012. A horse like Hansen deserves to have a clear shot at immortality, which he seems to have the talent to do. Can’t help but think about Secretariat and the Belmont in watching Hansen demolish his opponents by 12 and 13 length wins. Too early, of course, but one can dream, and hope. As Priscilla Clark, of Tranquility Farm, wrote in a piece about Zenyatta: “If you love Thoroughbred horses you go through life hoping that you can see just one more in whose presence the clouds fall away to reveal the mountaintop.” Yes, it is too early, but, I think that’s what the sport is all about – hope.

Nice race Saturday on Cup day at Turfway, I wish the best for Mike Maker and Hansen, However it's a long time till next May! We've all seen excellent 2yros. come along,and for numerous reasons, go by the wayside before that Awsome first Saturday in the" Merry Month of May" ( Camelot ) . So just take this as a vote of caution, and Congratulations.

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Brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing his entire life. Taken to the races at a very young age, he has been lucky enough to see all the greats in person from Secretariat, Forego, and Ruffian through Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, and American Pharoah. Before coming to the Nation, Brian displayed his love for the sport through the development of his horse racing website, which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the game.

As Editor of Horse Racing Nation, Brian authors a daily column as Zipse at the Track, or ZATT for short, adds his editorial flare to the overall content of the website, and co-hosts the popular racing show, HorseCenter. A big supporter of thoroughbred aftercare, he serves as the President of The Exceller Fund.

Brian's work has also been published on several leading industry sites. He has consulted for leading contest site Derby Wars, is both a Hall of Fame and NTRA poll voter, and is a Vox Populi committee member.

A horse owner and graduate of DePaul University, Brian lives just outside of Louisville with his wife Candice and daughter Kendra.